Stalker
by GataChica
Summary: Someone is sending anonymous gifts to Director Shepard, but the pleasant surprises soon turn to threats.
1. Chapter 1

NCIS Director Jenny Shepard opened the door to her office, then stopped abruptly.

"What the hell...?"

There were flowers all over the room - flowers in vases, flowers in pots, flowers in bunches. Many different varieties could be seen, but there was a predominance of orchids, her favorite flower. It wasn't her birthday, it wasn't any sort of anniversary.

She went to her desk, a curious smile on her face, and looked more closely at a vase full of dark pink and fuschia orchids. She plucked the card out of its holder, expecting to find the sender's name, and expecting it to be one of two - maybe three - people.

She was surprised to find no name on the card, just "From an admirer." Moving from one set of flowers to another, she discovered that they all said the same thing. And another point - they were all from different florists. Smiling, but mystified, she didn't hear the door, didn't know he was there until he spoke.

"You must have made someone very happy, Jen," he said. "Or do you plan on starting a florist's shop right here in your office?" She turned to see a smirk on his face, as usual.

"Neither." She held up the card for him to read. "At least, not that I am aware of." He read the card she handed him, then looked at her questioningly. She nodded. She had nothing to hide from Jethro, so she stood still, composed, as he looked at the rest of the cards.

"Seems a little odd that they came from different shops," he commented.

"Yes, I was wondering about that myself. But perhaps whoever sent them thought it would look funny to order eleven sets of flowers for one person on one day. I would find it strange."

"Yeah, me too." He looked around again. "And you have no idea why?"

"No."

"Hmm. You would think the guy would have made it clear what it was for, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless he thought you would remember."

 _That's not what he was going to say._

She decided to go straight to the point. "Jethro, you don't think this is a potential problem, do you? They're just flowers."

"No, Jen - I don't think it's a problem, just a mystery."

Gibbs left the Director's office and returned to his desk, preoccupied, but not so preoccupied that he didn't notice agents DiNozzo and McGee arguing and headslap them. When he sat down, his thoughts returned to the flower-strewn office on the floor above. His gut was telling him something was very wrong.

"David." He beckoned her to come closer to his desk, then showed her a piece of paper on which he had written "Beltway Florists - flowers for NCIS Director Shepard."

"I want you to check this out," he said quietly.

She raised her eyes to meet his, the surprise evident. "I do not understand, Gibbs."

He looked exasperated. "Someone sent flowers to the director from 11 different florists in the DC area. I want to know who and why. Is that clear?"

She nodded, taking the piece of paper, then picked up her backpack and left without a word.

"I'm sorry, ma'm... "

"Ms. David."

"I'm sorry, Ms. David. The flowers were purchased with cash."

"Give me a description of the person who ordered them." The clerk hesitated, so Ziva added, "Now."

"I'm trying to remember. I think she had blonde hair..."

"She?"

"Yes. Blonde hair, with brown in it - they used to call it 'dishwater blonde.'"

"What is that?"

"Dishwater blonde," the clerk repeated. "You know, like dirty dishwater."

"Ugh," Ziva said under her breath.

"It's not that bad. It just means a mixture of brown and blonde."

"How long was her hair? How was it styled?"

"About shoulder length, loose." The woman paused to think. "She looked like she was in her late 30's."

"Any other features? Glasses? Eye color? Clothing?"

"No glasses. I didn't see her eyes, really. I think she was wearing a dark green blouse, and maybe jeans. That's all I remember."

"Did she have an accent?"

"Yes, actually, she did. She sounded, I don't know, Scandinavian? Maybe Russian. Something like that."

"Did she sign the card herself?"

"No, she told me what to write."

Ziva sighed. Not much to go on - why couldn't people be more observant? She took out an NCIS business card. "If she comes back, call us at that number and ask for Special Agent Gibbs."

"Okay."

As soon as Ziva had started the car, she reported back to Gibbs. "It's not much," she concluded.

"No, it isn't."

"I suspect the woman bought the flowers on someone else's behalf."

"Ya think, Ziva? Go to the Lincoln Memorial Florists and find out if the description matches."

"Yes, Gibbs. Do you have a case yet?"

"No, but even if we did, I want you to pursue this. Unless you have a problem with that, Officer David?"

Ziva hesitated. She did, in fact, have a problem with it, because she knew he was using her to spy on Jenny. But she replied, "No."

He hung up, and she started to drive off, but her mind was torn between her boss and her friend; where did her first loyalty lie?

About a block away, she pulled into a car park and dialed Jenny's number.

"Shepard."

"Jenny, this is Ziva."

"Is something wrong, Ziva?" Jenny had immediately picked up on the Mossad officer's flat tone of voice, the one she used when she was hiding something.

"I don't know. But... I thought I should tell you that Gibbs has me going to florists to ask about the person who sent you the flowers."

There was a silence so long that Ziva thought the call had been dropped. "Jenny, are you still there?"

"Yes." Now Jenny had adopted that flatness of tone. "Thank you for the information, Ziva. Continue with your assignment."

"Shalom."

The longer Jenny sat thinking about it, the angrier she became. He shouldn't have - he had no right - even if it was to protect her, he could have said something. He _should_ have said something. Ideally, he should have asked her first. But that would go against his stupid rule 18...

She weighed her options. Should she confront him now, or pretend she didn't know so that she could get more information first?

She looked around at her flowers again, and an unexpected chill went up her spine. Something was wrong; she could feel it. _Let Jethro investigate_ , she told herself. _Then you'll_ know _if you have a reason to worry._

For most of the day she was busy in MTAC, and she knew Gibbs' team had a case, so they didn't see each other. She forgot about being angry until she returned to her office and found him sitting on her sofa, spreading out place settings and uncorking a bottle of red wine.

"You must have found out what the occasion was, Jethro," she smiled, slipping off her heels.

He looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"

"You _know_ what I mean," she said, sitting in the chair with her feet tucked under her. "Pour me some wine, Jethro; it's been a long day."

He didn't say anything while he poured the wine and dished out the salad, tortellini with mushroom sauce, and sauteed asparagus. Then he looked at her with one eyebrow lifted.

She took a bite of her tortellini and closed her eyes blissfully. "Mmm, this is delicious." Opening her eyes, she noticed his eyebrow. "What?"

"What were you saying?"

She smiled secretively. "What did Ziva find out? Did she have time to go to all of the florists, or does she need to finish tomorrow?"

He stared at her, the tension evident in his rigid posture, then suddenly he looked away and relaxed a little. "She called you?"

Jenny nodded, her mouth full of asparagus.

"I should have known," he said, with some annoyance. "Ziva's on your team, not mine."

"That's not true, Jethro," Jenny argued. "She felt I should know that you were snooping behind my back. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Rule 18," he answered roughly, then downed his wine in one gulp.

"I didn't say 'ask,' I said 'tell.' To be honest..." Jenny hesitated.

"What?"

"I've been a little nervous myself." She grinned. "Otherwise, I would have had your ass on a plate by now."

He bypassed her confession and raised his eyebrows, smirking. "Is that what you want?"

"No! Now tell me what you found out."

"A woman ordered the flowers. Different appearances, but Ziva thinks it could have been the same woman. Probably ordered them for someone else."

"Well, yeah, probably a man."

"Gee, why didn't I think of that?"

"What's next?"

He shrugged. "Wait and see, I guess. Unless you can think of someone who might..."

Jenny had a troubled expression, which she wiped it away when he looked up at her. "No. But I'll tell you if I have any ideas."


	2. Chapter 2

For the rest of the week, nothing unusual occurred, other than the fact that Abby's bowling team won the championship and as a result, she bubbled over incoherently for the next three days. By the weekend, Jenny had moved the potted plants to her house (all except one, which she placed prominently on her desk), shared the other flowers with everyone in the building, and reluctantly tossed the ones that had seen better days. The question of who sent them remained at the back of her mind, but she no longer felt worried.

She was a little late getting to work on Monday morning, and as she walked through the outer office, Cynthia said, "I see your secret admirer has been at work again." She smiled, not knowing that her boss wasn't entirely happy about the situation.

Jenny froze, then smiled for Cynthia's benefit. "Well, I'll have to see what it is this time."

She opened the door and stepped inside. Sitting on her desk beside last week's flowers was a huge balloon and candy bouquet. There were small brightly colored balloons and large silver mylar balloons which had messages such as "You are special!" and "Thinking of you." Among the balloons were different kinds of Godiva chocolates - bars of dark chocolate with raspberries, boxes of truffles and bonbons, and her favorite, strawberries and cherries dipped in dark chocolate.

Her head swam as she thought about eating her favorite candies, all of which were represented. It took a minute for her to think of looking for the card. She had a slight hope that the sender might reveal himself this time.

"You are sweeter than all of these," she read aloud.

"That's true most of the time, but it's not a helpful clue," came the inevitable voice behind her.

"Jethro, would you stop that!" She turned to him, annoyed. "I know you do it just to irritate me."

"Now, would I do that, Jen?"

"Of course you would." She took a deep breath to calm herself. "What do you think?"

"Where did this come from?"

She shrugged and handed him the card. "It doesn't say."

"It has to say somewhere." He looked at each ribbon and finally found it - a small sticker with equally small writing. He showed it to her. "I don't have my glasses."

She picked up her own glasses and put them on. "It just says Godiva Chocolatier, Washington, D.C. I expect there is more than one. You will look into it, I assume?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Does it matter?"

"No."

"All right. But send McGee this time," she called after him as he walked out.

He stopped just before leaving the office, then went back. "Jen?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like me to take that down to Abby to check for tampering?"

She looked startled - it had not yet occurred to her that there could be something wrong with the candy. "No, thanks, I'll take it myself."

(cue Abby music)

Abby had worn her bowling jacket to work again, and because the lab was rather cold, she still had it on went Jenny walked in.

"Hey, Director Shepard! Ooh, what's that? Yummy!" She started to take it from Jenny, but a shake of the director's head stopped her.

"Gloves first, Abby."

Abby grabbed a pair of latex gloves and slipped them on, then carefully took the basket and put it on the evidence table. "Is it from your secret admirer?"

"Yes, but - I'd like you to check everything for fingerprints, tampering, poison -"

"Poison!" Abby looked shocked. "Who would want to poison you?"

Jenny smiled. "More people than you would think. All NCIS agents have enemies." She sighed. "This is probably just an old friend sending me gifts, but I can't be certain. I'd like you to check. Will you have time?"

"I should have plenty of time today unless something dreadful happens. I'll let you know." Abby smiled. "I bet you're eager to eat some of these!"

"Definitely! Thanks, Abby. Oh, I love the jacket, by the way." Jenny tried to appear nonchalant as she left the lab, but it was difficult, because the old feeling of fear was coming back. As she stepped into the elevator, she told herself 'Relax, Jennifer. It's just to be careful; everything is fine. Take some deep breaths, and you'll be okay.'

By the time she reached her office, she had almost convinced herself.

Late that afternoon, Gibbs wanted to report their findings and found the director in MTAC observing an operation. He started to speak, but she shushed him. "Wait," she whispered.

One screen showed a close-up satellite view of a ship in the Gulf of Oman, and the other was clearly the sonar of a submarine. Intrigued, Gibbs watched as two torpedoes were launched and a few seconds later, the ship blew up.

Jenny turned towards him. "It wasn't our operation but I wanted to watch. What did you find out?"

"The basket was ordered online and charged to a credit card with the name 'Isaac Hubbard.' Do you know him?"

"No, never heard of him."

"I'm not surprised; he's a waiter at the El Dorado restaurant down in Fairfax."

"You think the card was stolen? Did he report it?"

"Not before the chocolates were ordered. This afternoon."

"Why would he want to send me chocolate? Or flowers."

"Maybe he's not just a waiter. McGee has a full dossier on him, with pictures. Wanna see?"

"Of course."

They walked down the steps to the squad room where a man's picture was on the plasma screen.

"Have you seen him before, Director?" McGee asked.

She stared at the picture for a long moment. "No, I don't think so," she said.

"Tony and Ziva went to Fairfax to interview him. They should be back soon."

"Yeah Probie, as in 'right now,'" said DiNozzo, walking up behind him.

"So?"

"I do not think he knows anything about it," Ziva said. "We got his prints though -"

"We told him it was about his stolen credit card," Tony inserted.

"- so with luck, we can find out if he's a spy or an assassin."

"Wait," McGee said, looking through the notes Tony had given him. "This says that he was waiting tables last night from 7 pm to 9:30. The candy was ordered at 8:05."

"He could've slipped out for a few minutes," Tony suggested.

"I wonder if we can convince him to give us his laptop - no, that wouldn't prove anything, he could have used someone else's."

"So you're saying we don't really know anything," Jenny said.

"Well, uh - we know something, just not enough yet," McGee admitted.

"Maybe we should work it the other way," suggested Ziva. "Find out where the person who ordered the basket was at the time."

"Good idea. McGee, do it." Gibbs touched Jenny's arm lightly. "We'll go check with Abby."

The two of them went into the elevator, but Gibbs stopped it as soon as it began to move. "Do you think you need more security, Jen?"

"I have two agents practically everywhere I go."

"At home, though?"

"I have security there, too. Jethro, I know you're concerned -"

"You're damned right I am!"

"But remember, we still don't know that there is anything to be concerned about. Unless Abby found poison in the candy. It's just flowers and chocolates."

"If it's legit, it shouldn't be this difficult to find out who sent them."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence."

"Huh! You know how I feel about coincidences, Jen." He started the elevator again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"What's the verdict, Abbs?" Gibbs asked as they went into the lab.

"Good news! No poison."

Jenny smiled.

"No tampering, either. The boxes were sealed by the chocolate person, and the only other fingerprints came from the delivery man."

"Any reason to suspect him, or the person at the store?" asked Gibbs.

"No, he's been vetted, otherwise he couldn't deliver to a government building. So, Director," Abby ceremoniously handed the basket to Jenny, "you may now eat to your heart's content."

"Thank you, Abby. I do feel much safer since you checked them." She touched several of the boxes in turn before settling on a box of specialty bonbons, which she opened.

Gibbs moved closer to Abby so he could speak in a low voice. "You couldn't have checked every piece of candy, Abby. How can you be sure there isn't just _one_ that is dangerous?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Gibbs, remember who you are talking to! Your miracle-working forensic scientist! Not just some bimbo who watched too many episodes of CSI. I took samples from all of them - every single one! - and ran them through the mass spectrometer. Nothing in them is dangerous. Well, unless you count the caffeine and sugar. Which I don't."

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "Good work, Abbs."

"Now where's my Caf!-Pow?"

"I'll send one down to you." He picked up Jenny's basket and, placing a hand on the small of her back, he ushered her towards the elevator.

Three days later, a small package with no return address arrived for Director Jenny Shepard. By standard protocol, the package was examined by Security before it was brought to her.

"Is the director in?" Officer Laerd asked Cynthia.

"Yes. I'll tell her -"

The door to the inner office opened and Jenny stepped out. "Good morning, Elizabeth. What brings you up here?"

"Package for you, ma'm." She handed the box to Jenny. "It's been thoroughly checked. Nothing harmful."

"Thanks, Elizabeth. Do you know what it is?"

The security officer smiled. "Yes ma'm, I do. I think you'll like it." She left the office before Jenny could finish unwrapping the package. Her heart was pounding. Would she find out who it was this time?

Finally she uncovered a square velvet box about three inches on each side. She opened it and heard Cynthia gasp.

Secured in the satin lining were two earrings with diamond studs and large emerald teardrops, and a brooch with the letters "NCIS" spelled out in emeralds with diamond accents. "Oh my God, these are gorgeous," Jenny breathed.

"They must have cost a fortune!" Cynthia said. "Are they real emeralds?"

"Only a jeweler could tell for sure, but I'm almost positive they are. They have that certain sparkle that an imitation just doesn't have." She picked up one of the earrings and found that her hands were too shaky to put them on. "Cynthia, can you help me?"

The secretary came from behind her desk and quickly replaced the earrings Jenny had worn to work with the new ones, then she pinned the brooch to her left shoulder.

"How do I look?"

"Like a beautiful woman wearing beautiful jewelry," Cynthia replied sincerely.

Jenny started to go back inside her office, then remembered why she had come out in the first place. "I'll be in MTAC," she said.

"Wait, Director." Jenny stopped, and Cynthia handed her the folder she had been carrying.

"Thanks, Cynthia. What would I do without you?"

"You would do just fine."

Several hours later, Jenny was doing paperwork when Gibbs opened the door to her office. "Hey Jen, I heard -" He stopped and stared at the brooch, with a soundless "Oh."

"Jethro, are you staring at my new jewelry or my cleavage?" she asked him with a smirk.

"Both," he replied, after a moment's hesitation. He closed the door then sat on the edge of her desk. "What are ya doing tonight, Jen?" he asked.

"Is the view that good?"

"I mean, will you be safe?"

"Jethro, how many times do I have to tell you, my protection detail -"

"Which you are very good at getting away from -"

"- keeps a careful watch on me." Jenny finished. Then it registered what he had said. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, Jen, maybe it's because I've tried to locate you sometimes and they didn't know where you were."

"I wasn't doing anything -" She stopped abruptly. "They've never told you that."

"No, but you just did."

Her hands were balled up at her sides and her lips pressed tightly together as she glared at him for several moments. Finally she relaxed, just a little. "I will be perfectly all right, so you needn't worry." She turned to look at the papers she was filling out before he entered. He didn't move.

"You didn't answer my question, Jen," he said quietly.

"Which question?" She refused to look at him.

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Oh, that one. Actually, I'm not doing anything tonight, Jethro, except possibly finishing this paperwork that you are preventing me from doing, and, oh yes, I might actually get some sleep." She looked up at him through her lashes. "So please go away now. I don't want to take this crap home with me."

"Fine by me," he said, heading for the door. "Oh," he said, "by the way, I'll see you at 2030."

Jenny stared at where he had been, then she had to smile a little. Typical Gibbs behavior. She idly wondered if he himself could be the gift giver. No, it wasn't his style to sneak around and hide things. Besides, his concerns seemed genuine.

She started to feel a twinge of doubt, then firmly pushed it aside and concentrated on her paperwork.

That evening at 2025 a truck pulled up in front of the house in Georgetown. Gibbs got out, but instead of going to the front door, he walked around to the side of the house. He wanted to see how good her security really was.

Close to the back was an enclosure which concealed the garbage cans. He looked at the fence for a few minutes, deciding on the best way to get over, then started to jump.

"Stop right there!" a voice barked. Gibbs grinned.

"Turn around and put your hands up!" He did so, not wanting to upset a potentially trigger-happy security officer.

A flashlight shone in his eyes, and in the beam of light he could see the officer's gun pointing at him. "I'm a federal agent," he said. "I work for NCIS."

"Then why were you trying to climb that fence?"

Logical question. He decided the truth would be best. "I wanted to see how good her security was. I feel a lot better now."

The security guard laughed, but he didn't lower his gun. "Get your badge and your I.D. out - slowly."

Gibbs very slowly moved his right hand, keeping the left one up. He passed his identification over, and the officer held it up in the light so he could see it and Gibbs at the same time. After a few moments, he handed them back and lowered his gun.

"No hard feelings I hope, Special Agent Gibbs?" he said as they walked together back to the front of the house.

"Nope," Gibbs said. "Like I said, I feel better now. What's your name?"

"Theo Richardson."

"Thanks." He went to the front door and rang the bell. It was just 2035.

Jenny had been looking over some papers at her study desk and trying to pretend she wasn't wondering where Jethro was. But she was still cautious when she went to the door. She peered through the peephole, then smiled and unlocked the door. "Hello, Jethro," she said. "Come in. Have you eaten?"

"Just some barbecued goat." She gave him a strange look so he added, "DiNozzo."

"Oh. Do you want anything to eat or drink? Help yourself."

He went to the drinks cabinet in the study and poured himself a glass of bourbon. He started to ask her what she wanted, then saw that she already had a glass of red wine.

She sat on the corner of her desk, sipping the wine, and asked, "So why are you here, Jethro?"

He sat down in an armchair near the desk. "Can't a guy just spend some time with an old friend?"

"Maybe 'a guy' can, but not you."

"You know me too well, Jen. I tested your security." He went on to explain what had just happened.

She tried not to laugh, but couldn't help it. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs, you are one suspicious man."

"Not suspicious. I just don't believe what people tell me."

"That sounds like being suspicious to me." She walked around the desk and sat in her chair.

"Hmm." There was silence for a few minutes, then finally she asked, "Are you here to babysit me?"

"Nope."

"Then what?"

He gazed at her, a smile playing around his lips.

"No," she said firmly.

"I didn't even say anything."

"Well, you were thinking it."

"Can't a man think? Besides, that nightgown you're wearing -"

"I can change, if it's bothering you."

He stood up. "Maybe I should go home."

"Maybe you should."

He was almost to the front door when she said, "Wait."

He turned around, his face impassive.

"We could... I don't know, watch a movie?" she suggested, her cheeks flushing.

He shrugged. "Okay."

She smiled. "I'll get the alcohol. You can wait for me in the TV room."

They sat on the comfortable leather couch, one on each end, both having a vague idea that to be too close would not be a wise thing to do. But by the time the movie (they were watching _Casino Royale_ ) was over, Jenny had fallen asleep with her head against his shoulder, her feet curled up beside her.

He shut off the movie and the TV, then gently picked her up and carried her upstairs to her bedroom, where he laid her on the pillow and pulled up the covers. He went back down and debated whether he should sleep on the couch or just leave. It was late and it would take him some time to get home, so he took off his shoes and with a yawn, made himself comfortable on the couch.

Outside, a shadow was watching, and noticed when all the lights went off and the truck was still there. The shadow crept behind the other cars, to avoid being seen by the security guard, then took a large knife out and worked on the truck's tires. In a moment all four were flat, and the shadow slipped away with a feeling of satisfaction.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: In the previous chapter, when I mentioned the barbecued goat and DiNozzo, I didn't mean that Tony is a goat. LOL. I was referring to the Season 3 episode "Untouchable" in which Tony sent McGee for barbecued goat sandwiches.

The next morning, Jenny was wrapped in a towel, selecting her undergarments for the day, when her bedroom door suddenly swung open. She screamed and dropped the towel before she realized it was him.

"Gibbs!" she hissed. "You really have to learn to knock."

"Nothing there I haven't seen before," he said, with a smirk.

"That doesn't mean you can see it now," she told him, incensed. "Go home and get ready for work."

"I can't," he said quietly.

She tucked the towel around her and asked, "What?"

"I said I can't. I can't go home. I need a ride to work."

"Why?"

"Because someone slashed my tires."

She looked up sharply, her eyes widening. "Who? Who would do that?"

"Someone who didn't like me being here last night."

"Oh. I see." She picked up her underwear and went into the bathroom, trying not to think about what this meant.

"Jen," he called.

"I'll be out in a minute."

He leaned against the wall and waited.

When she came back into the bedroom, she was wearing a sheer white La Perla slip and panties, carrying a tan dress with a green belt. She stood in front of the full-length mirror while she dressed.

"Make yourself useful," she said, "Zip me up."

Without speaking, he moved to stand behind her and slowly closed the zipper of the dress. He heard the hitch in her breathing when his fingers brushed against her neck. Looking at her in the mirror, he realized that he was _not_ thinking about the way her body felt against his, and the wonderful times they had together. He was beyond that now. He was afraid - gut-wrenchingly terrified - that she would be taken away from him. Even if they never had anything beyond a boss-employee relationship, it was better than losing her entirely. At least she would be in his life.

"Jen," he said hoarsely, "we've got to do something."

"Yes," she whispered, reaching behind her to pull his arms around her waist. "Yes, we do."

She suddenly seemed to shake herself, and turned around, moving out of his embrace. "We need to get to work. Do you have extra clothes there?"

He nodded, knowing that she was becoming the strong, powerful Director again. "Yeah, then we'll start investigating this. It's our new case - nothing's more important than protecting the NCIS Director."

She smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Give me five minutes and we can leave."

Gibbs knew that there would be talk when the team found out he had spent the night at the Director's house. Hell, there was talk already. It would be useless to try to deny anything, and besides, why should he? He decided he would simply tell them he'd stayed out at her house and they could think whatever they wanted to.

On the other hand, he did not want every agent in the bullpen to know; it wasn't fair to Jen. So he brought everyone down to Abby's lab and briefly explained. "McGee, did you trace that chocolate order?"

"Uh, no boss, I tried but the person used a proxy so I couldn't find their home IP address -" He stopped abruptly. "I'll keep trying."

"Check about the jewelry, too. DiNozzo, David, talk to the Director's neighbors, see if they've seen any strangers around. If anyone has security cameras, get their tapes. And interview the security officers."

"On it, boss." Tony glanced at Ziva and they left the lab, while McGee set up shop in Abby's office.

"Gibbs, what about me?" Abby asked.

"I'll let you know when we get evidence."

"What about your truck? Fingerprints, maybe?"

"Good thinking. Yeah, have the truck towed here and check it over completely."

"Yes, sir!" Abby saluted with the wrong hand, hoping Gibbs would laugh at her.

He tried to smile, but he just couldn't. "Sorry, Abbs," he murmured. "See you later."

She watched him leave, wishing she could tell him everything would be okay.

He took the elevator up to the fourth floor, heading for Jen's office. He didn't see Cynthia in her usual spot; it turned out that she was being briefed on the situation.

"Thank you, Cynthia," Jenny said as he entered.

The secretary nodded at Gibbs and went out, closing the door carefully.

"I talked to the team and they're investigating. What about a suspect list?"

"I've got two names so far." She pushed a piece of paper towards him.

"Dennis Stevens, Mohammed Ahdi," he read. "When did you know them?"

"Stevens was a mole I helped catch at MI-6, and Ahdi was a cell leader in an Egyptian terror group."

"Didn't they go to trial?"

"Ahdi disappeared before he could be charged. Stevens only got 18 months. He would have gotten out at least three years ago."

"It might have taken time for them to track you down. Surely there are more than two? You were a good agent."

"Stop saying 'were' all the time, Jethro, it's insulting. Yes, there were many more. But those two were the most angry and probably the most violent."

"I'll talk to Fornell, see if he knows anything."

"I'll ask my contacts."

"Dinner?"

"All right. Where?"

"My place."

"Jethro -"

"Jen, this person is watching your house. He may not know where I live. We'll go in a different car, try to throw him off. Your protection detail will be there, and your security service."

"I think I'll feel safe with you," she said softly.

"No taking chances. Call me if you think of more suspects." He left the office as quickly as he had entered.

An hour later, he met Fornell, who was sitting on a bench near the Jefferson Memorial.

"Did you learn anything?"

"Stevens is in Russia right now; Ahdi was supposedly killed in Palestine last year. Either one could have had an accomplice."

"The woman who bought the flowers had an accent that may have been Russian."

"I'll try to track down his contacts."

"What's he doin' in Russia, anyway?"

"Playing double agent. He got out of British prison on that basis."

"And they _trust_ him?"

"Oh, they don't tell him anything important anymore."

"What are the chances Ahdi's still alive?"

"Possible, not probable." He stood up. "Let's go for a walk before we have to go back to pretending we hate each other."

Abby had induced McGee to move down to the evidence garage with her while she was checking Gibbs' truck. He really didn't mind; the work he was doing could be done anywhere. He half-listened to Abby as she talked, though most of his mind was devoted to the task.

"... so what do you think, McGee, is it someone who's mad at the Director, or someone who's mad at Gibbs?"

"Uh... I suppose it could be either. I hadn't thought of that." He continued his quest to trace the orders for the chocolates and the jewelry.

"I don't think they've thought of it either. I'm going to say something to Gibbs when I get these fingerprints done. They're only looking at one group of suspects and they should be - Tim, what are you doing?"

She had looked up to find him staring at the screen in disbelief. "Abby... those orders... they came from _here_."

"Are you sure?" He glared at her. "Oh, yeah, of course you are. Can you narrow it down to a certain computer?" She had paused in her work and was looking over his shoulder.

He keyed in a few more commands, but the result was even harder to believe. "The Director's computer? That's impossible. Why would she - it couldn't have been the Director. How could she have slashed Gibbs' tires?"

"So someone hacked it?"

"Well, yeah, at least. That means they know everything on her computer... maybe everything at NCIS. I'd better call IT and alert them."

"And go tell Gibbs and the Director."

He dialed the IT department's extension while they went up in the elevator. "IT, Bodie here."

"Hey, this is McGee. I just found evidence of someone hacking -"

"Into the Director's computer?"

"Yeah. You knew?"

"Just found out a few minutes ago. Vannoy is up in her office checking on it."

"I'm going up there too; I'll see if she could use some help."

They met Gibbs as they crossed the catwalk.

"McGee, are you here about the hacker?"

"Yeah, Boss, I just discovered it about the same time the IT people did."

The three walked into Jenny's office and immediately noticed how pale she looked. Gibbs looked questioningly at her, but she just shook her head.

"Special Agent Gibbs, I'm Janna Vannoy from IT." Her voice dropped suddenly and he almost couldn't hear what she said next. "This room is full of bugs, and there are cameras, too."


	5. Chapter 5

Jenny felt like a walking statue the rest of the day. To most people, she seemed utterly normal. She carried out her usual routine, since they did not wish the stalker to know that the bugs had been found. Not yet.

The rest of the building had been thoroughly checked and no other devices had been located. Nor had any other computers been hacked. As far as the computer experts could tell, no data had been accessed except files belonging to Director Shepard.

It was 1830 and Jenny sat at her desk, head in her hands, She felt intolerably weary. The exhaustion was so complete, she was not sure if she could manage to get up and go downstairs.

The lights were off and the sun had gone down, leaving the room dimly lit from the street lights.

"Jen." The voice startled her, and she realized she must have fallen asleep.

"Jethro," she replied faintly.

"You should go home now."

"What?" She glanced up at him and recognized his guarded expression. "Oh. You're right, I should." She stood up slowly, and he noticed that she seemed unsteady on her feet.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked suddenly.

She picked up her purse. "No, I'm just tired. Let's go."

She walked a few steps in her high heels before her legs began to buckle under her. He tried to catch her but was only successful in slowing her before she hit the floor. He felt for her pulse and found that it was faint and slow, but it was there. He pulled out his cell phone.

"Ducky? Are you still here?"

"I was just about to leave."

"Jen's fainted in her office."

"I'll be right there."

He didn't try to wake her or move her, just watched to be sure she was breathing and checked her pulse frequently.

The door opened and Ducky entered. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure. I came up to get her and she said she was very tired. Then she passed out."

Ducky listened to her heart and lungs, looked at the pupils of her eyes, and attempted to rouse her. No luck.

"Call 911," he said tersely.

Gibbs rode in the ambulance while Ducky followed in his car. The EMTs started an IV and frequently checked her vital signs, relaying the information to the emergency room. When they arrived at the hospital, she was whisked into a room, with the two men following close behind.

"Did she hit her head? Did she have a seizure?" the doctor asked.

"No. She just dropped to the floor."

Two nurses quickly set up the ECG, and the doctor looked at the paper as it moved out of the printer. "It looks like heart block. Does she have a history of heart disease?"

"No," Ducky answered.

Simultaneously, Gibbs said, "Heart what?"

"Heart block."

Ducky explained, "The electrical pulses in the heart are not working correctly."

"Why not?"

The doctor, seeing that Ducky knew the answers, began to give orders for transcutaneous pacing pads to be applied.

"They don't know why not. But they are going to correct the rhythm temporarily using those pads."

"Like a pacemaker?"

"Yes."

"But what could cause this?" Gibbs demanded.

Ducky could hear desperation in his friend's voice. "Jethro," he said gently, "they will need to do some tests. In the meantime, the pacing pads will make sure her heart beats properly."

"What could it be? Is this related to the stalker?"

The doctor heard Gibbs and turned to face him. "What stalker?"

"Someone has been stalking the Director," Ducky explained.

"Could he have done something to cause this?" Gibbs asked.

"Maybe so. I'll order an immediate tox screen."

"Jethro, lets go sit down outside so they can finish, and I'll tell you more. We can see her again in a little while."

Gibbs looked longingly at Jenny, then turned back to Ducky with a sigh of resignation. "All right."


	6. Chapter 6

Gibbs sat in the waiting area of the emergency room trying to slow his racing thoughts. He had already contacted Tony and Abby, asking them to collect and analyze any food or drink containers in Jenny's office. Tony had barely beaten the janitor to the trash; now Abby was running samples while the hospital lab analyzed Jenny's blood for toxins or drugs. Ducky was with the ER doctors discussing the findings from the lab work.

He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair, but not for long.

"Jethro, they have the results of the tox screen." Ducky sat beside him. "Somehow, she ingested a large amount of digoxin, the prescription form of digitalis."

"Heart drug?"

"Yes. It was originally made from the foxglove plant. It is used for heart failure and arrhythmias today, but it has a narrow therapeutic window, and toxicity is not uncommon. Doctors are using it less, especially for women, who appear to be more sensitive to the drug."

"Do you mean that someone gave her a toxic amount of this drug? Wouldn't she have noticed?"

Ducky shrugged his shoulders. "Unlikely - it has a sweet taste. She takes sugar in her coffee; that's the most likely source."

"But how -" Gibbs' phone rang and he saw that it was Abby.

"Hey Gibbs, I found out it was -"

"Digoxin. Foxglove."

"I hate it when you do that. How did you know?"

"Tox screen just came back."

"Oh. Well, it was in her coffee..."

He handed the phone to Ducky. "Talk to Abby," he said. Then he rushed back to the treatment room where Jenny lay insensible. He had to see if she was still alive.

When he walked into the room, the nurse was injecting something into Jenny's IV line. "It's an antidote for the digoxin," he explained. He then checked the monitors and adjusted the oxygen mask.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes. The antidote should take effect within about half an hour. Do you want to stay here with her?"

Gibbs looked at him gratefully. "Yeah." He pulled up a chair and held tightly to her left hand, willing the energy in his body and mind to move into hers and restore her. "This is it," he thought grimly. "I'm not giving her up this time - not without a fight."

McGee was viewing security camera footage from buildings near NCIS to see if he could spot the person who placed the bugs and cameras in the office. They had already determined that no one had entered from inside the building, so it had to have been someone on the outside. McGee flipped through videos until he started seeing spots and his vision became blurry.

He had just paused one of the videos so that he could rub his eyes when he heard Abby's voice. "Hey Tim, what are you doing?"

He looked at her with bloodshot eyes. "I'm going over surveillance video."

"Need any help?"

"Don't you have work you should do?"

"Not right now

."

"All right." He stood up and stretched while Abby took his seat. Then he watched over her shoulder as she forwarded through the video much faster than he could. "Are you sure you won't miss it?" he asked, worried.

"Come on, McGee. You know I -"

"Stop!" he yelled, but she had already paused it. "That shadow."

"I'll magnify and we'll follow it."

They watched as the shadow climbed an old ladder that went to the roof, then used a rope to move down to the window in Jenny's office. There was no sound, but a few moments later they saw security from several buildings, including NCIS, rushing towards the river. Meanwhile, the shadow entered the office.

They checked the video's time stamp: 0127 hours 11 weeks ago. They looked at each other.

"He's been into her system for almost three months now," McGee said.

Abby shivered as she stood up, remembering her own stalker who had wormed into her computer system. "It's totally creepy, Tim. But we need a better look. Is there one of the other cameras...?"

"This one might have a better view - it's on the other side. If we can catch him when he's on the roof..."

McGee manipulated the video, moving it to the same time period as the other one.

"There!" Abby exclaimed. "Now zoom in... a little more... and clarify it...oh my God."

They looked at each other again, this time in disbelief.

"It must be the same woman that bought the flowers," McGee said.

"But who is she working for?"

He was silent for almost half a minute, then he said quietly, "Maybe she's not working for anyone."

"You mean that woman is the stalker?" Abby asked incredulously.

"Why not?"

"But - the Director - with the flowers and all? I always thought she was 100% straight."

"Yeah, well, maybe that was the problem."

They immediately called Tony and Ziva to show them the video. Ziva just nodded. "She's a very attractive woman. I don't find it surprising at all. And remember - I worked with her before any of you did."

"Except for Gibbs," Abby inserted.

"Of course, except for Gibbs," Ziva replied, noticeably annoyed.

Tony grinned suddenly. "Hey Ziva, it's not you, is it?"

She glared at him. "Do you think I would let a security camera see my face? This woman is good, but she's not as good as I am."

"Pride goes before a fall, Ziva."

She stared at Tony, bewildered. "What does that even mean, Tony? Falling off a roof?"

"No, you see, Ziva, it's -"

Ziva stopped Abby's explanation with a wave of her hand. "It doesn't matter. We have to find out who she is and why she's after Jen - I mean, Director Shepard." Tony grinned again, but she ignored him.

"Fingerprints, you think?" Abby asked. "On the ladder or the roof or the window."

"Maybe, but she probably wore gloves. Can you tell in the video? Zoom in on her hands, McGee."

He did so, and they all groaned to see that she was indeed wearing gloves.

"Pull the best picture you can," Tony said, "maybe from several angles, then we'll run her through the databases. She's probably either someone the Director worked with, or if it's what we thought before, someone she put in prison. So we'll check everywhere."

Abby nodded. "Also, we can take the picture to the coffee shop, see if anyone recognizes her."

"I'll do that," Ziva volunteered. "Print it out for me, Tim." He did so, and she quickly left.

Abby had just gotten back to her lab when her phone rang. "Hey, Gibbs."

"Did you get a picture of him?"

"We have a picture, but it's not a him. It's a woman."

He groaned. "Who do you -"

"McGee thinks the woman is the stalker."

"A woman? Why?"

"Um... well... "Abby wasn't sure of the best words. "Ziva pointed out that she is... uh.. very attractive..."

"But I don't think -" he began.

"Yeah, well, maybe that was the problem. Sort of like Mikel, he was totally obsessed with me, in a sick way, you know. He thought he could make me like him."

"Okay, I get it," Gibbs said, an edge to his voice. "So send me the best picture you have."

He hung up just as a nurse entered the room. "Hello," she said pleasantly, with just a hint of an accent. "Dr. Miller wants an echocardiogram of Ms. Shepard's heart. It's like an ultrasound. I'm taking her to radiology."

"How long will it take?"

"About twenty minutes, sir. Not long." She moved the IV to a pole attached to the bed, then disconnected the ECG wires. "Be back soon." She pushed the bed out of the room and turned down the hall.

Gibbs' phone gave a short ring that indicated a text message. "Here is the picture." Gibbs scrolled down to view it, then he jumped up and headed out the door, throwing the phone down.

He looked both ways but he didn't see them. He ran to the nurse's station. "Did you see a woman pushing the Director's bed?"

The nurse, surprised, said, "No. Did someone take her out? She's not scheduled -"

"I know," Gibbs interrupted grimly. "It was her stalker. We have to find her now!"

She nodded and picked up the phone to call security. Gibbs ran to the elevators to see where they were. Two were on the ground floor, while the third had gone up to the eighth. 'If she tried to take Jen out of the hospital, security will probably stop her,' he thought. 'But the one that went up might be -'

A strangled cry interrupted his thoughts, and he turned to run towards it. He looked in every room, even the closets, with no luck. Finally he reached a treatment room with a closed door. He opened it to see the "nurse," or rather the stalker, holding a syringe to the IV line.

"Don't come any closer," she warned, "or your precious Director is dead."


	7. Chapter 7

_"Don't come any closer," she warned, "or your precious Director is dead."_

"What do you want?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"I want her," the woman said simply. "I want her to love me. That's all I ever wanted."

"You can't make someone love you."

"Really? I can certainly try. And I can definitely get you - and anyone else - out of her life."

"You were the one who slashed my tires."

"Because you spent the night with her. She's not yours! She's mine!"

Gibbs was acutely aware of two things. One was a very faint sound behind him which indicated security had found him and they were listening, waiting for a good opportunity. The second was that Jen's eyes were beginning to open slowly.

"If you don't leave, she dies!" the woman said again.

Jen's eyes opened further. "Stacy?" she asked weakly.

When Stacy turned to look at Jen, Gibbs rushed her, knocking the syringe to the floor; simultaneously, the security officers entered and grabbed her from Gibbs.

"Jenny!" she screamed. "Tell them to leave me alone! Tell them you love me! Tell them! Tell them!" She continued to scream as security dragged her away.

Gibbs held Jenny tightly, trying to hide the fact that he was shaking from the release of tension and terror. Tears slid noiselessly down both of their cheeks. The (real) nurse came in and discreetly checked Jenny's vital signs, then left.

Gibbs reached up to stroke her hair. "Shhh," he whispered. "It's over. You're okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Jen."

She pressed her face against his shoulder. "Jethro," she cried, "I was so s-s-scared!"

"Not any more than I was," he admitted. "If the team hadn't sent her picture to me, I wouldn't have realized that she was the stalker. Remind me to be extra nice to them for a day or two."

She giggled a little with relief. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, but it doesn't matter right now. Jethro - I don't want to scare you - but..."

When she didn't continue, he asked, "What, Jen?" The mention of "scare" got his attention. "What?"

Her voice was so low he could barely hear her. "I love you." He didn't answer right away, and she added, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have -"

Her words were stopped when he kissed her, a kiss that lasted so long she became breathless. When he broke the kiss he realized she was breathing heavily, and that reminded him that she still had a heart condition. He called the nurse back in, and Jen was moved back to her original room. He was a little embarrassed that they had to give her oxygen, but he wasn't sorry for kissing her.

While they were attending to her, he called the team.

"Gibbs! I'm so glad you called! What happened?" Abby asked. "We're all wondering..."

"We got her. Is everyone there? If they are, put me on speaker."

"Tony & Tim are here." Her voice sounded hollow, so he knew she had the speaker phone on.

"I want you all to know that you saved the Director's life. That stalker almost killed her right here in the hospital. If you hadn't sent me the picture, Jen would probably be dead now."

"Just doin' our job, Boss," said Tony, who was a little uncomfortable. He wasn't accustomed to that kind of praise from Gibbs.

"Yeah, Boss," agreed Tim.

"I'm really glad," Abby said. "What was the deal? Why did she want to kill the Director?"

"I don't have all the details yet, but I'll fill you in later." He saw the nurses leaving Jen's room. "Gotta go."

In the lab, Abby, Tony, and Tim looked at each other in surprise. Gibbs never said anything remotely resembling goodbye, he just hung up.

"He's getting weird again," said Tony with a sigh.

"Oh, I think it will pass," Abby said with a giggle.

Jenny spent the night in ICU, just in case she had more problems related to the digoxin. But she didn't feel sick - just a little more tired than usual, coupled with an adrenalin rush from finally acknowledging her feelings.

The next day she was moved to a regular room, and once settled, decided it was time to talk. "I never stopped loving you, Jethro," she admitted. "I wanted to believe I could get past it - if I could just be ultra-professional. But it didn't work."

"It didn't work for me, either. When this happened, I decided I wasn't going to pretend anymore."

"Would you have said something, then, if I hadn't?"

He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "Yep. No doubt about it."

"I'm glad." She leaned towards him for a moment, then said in frustration, "I can't reach you."

"Move over a bit." She did so, and he reclined beside her on the bed, his arm around her pulling her close to him. She sighed contentedly.

"So who was this Stacy person?" he asked.

"Oh. She was a Russian agent. We worked together a few times in 2000 and early 2001. I finally had to request another assignment because she - she said she loved me, and that she knew I loved her, I just didn't want to admit it. All the typical crazy obsession stuff. I didn't know what else to do. She was getting really pushy. I was relieved when I moved on to another assignment and didn't hear from her again."

"They have her in the maximum security psychiatric unit."

"I actually feel a little... well, ashamed about the whole thing."

"Why should you feel ashamed? She's the crazy one!"

"Yeah, but..."

"But nothing, Jen. Was it Abby's fault that Mikel Mawher was nuts?"

"No, of course not."

"Well, then stop blaming yourself."

She sighed. "Okay."

He kissed the top of her head. "Besides, this wasn't all bad."

"No, you're right. I enjoyed some very luscious chocolates!" She laughed and nestled closer to him.

the end


End file.
